


and please, come back to me

by MovePastTheFeeling



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Established Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, F/F, lex is still alive
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-08
Updated: 2019-08-09
Packaged: 2020-08-13 05:47:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20169133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MovePastTheFeeling/pseuds/MovePastTheFeeling
Summary: Kara sees it as if in slow motion. The beams of heat vision travel towards her, so bright that even her eyes can barely handle it. Her entire body tenses up. The pain will be excruciating, she knows, but perhaps it won’t last too long. Maybe she’ll see her parents again soon.Just as the beams are almost upon her, they part before her like the red sea. The pain never comes, though the light of the heat vision overwhelms Kara for a moment.Kara, set upon by Lex and his minions, receives help from an unlikely place.Tumblr,Twitter





	1. anyone's ghost

**Author's Note:**

> So, I'm having some trouble writing my SuperReignCorp fic (but don't worry, I'll power through and get a chapter up next wednesday), so I decided to write a whole other one in the meantime, because I'm crazy I guess? I had the idea of Sam showing up out of nowhere to save Kara in a fight and this whole monstrosity grew out of that. Enjoy!

It’s been a month since Lex broke out of prison.

Today, he’s made his presence known. He has set upon National City with not only a cloned Supergirl, perfectly under his thrall, but with a cloned Superman as well. Both of them are immune to Kryptonite, which the DEO have learned the hard way. The real Superman is occupied in Metropolis, as Lex has planted several Kryptonite bombs around the city. This leaves one person to stop his rampage through National City.

Kara.

It’s not going well. Kara tries to push herself up, her face bloodied and bruised, but the clone Supergirl slams her booted foot onto her back. Kara slams into the asphalt, the wind knocked out of her lungs. The clone Superman grabs her by the collar and easily hoists her up, her feet dangling just above the ground, before tossing her several yards away. She bounces against the asphalt and skids to a stop, barely holding on to her consciousness.

She spits blood from her mouth and, with a great roar of exertion, pushes herself to a standing position. Her limbs feel rubbery and weak, as if she’s drunk, but she forces herself into a loose fighting stance. She can barely clench her fists, but if she doesn’t stop them, who will?

“Give it up, Kara,” Lex’s voice carries across the battlefield. “I wanted to kill you, but this is just sad.”

“Shut up,” Kara growls. “Less talk, more fighting.”

* * *

“Mom, you have to help them!”

A handful of drones are picking up footage of the fight and it’s all that the any news channel is showing.

“I don’t know. I don’t think I can help. I’d just get in the way.”

“Look at Supergirl. I think you’re the only one who can.”

* * *

Kara cries out in pain as she’s blasted by clone Superman’s heat vision. She holds her arms up in front of her, trying to block out the worst of it, but she can feel her suit beginning to melt and cling to her skin. It’s a sensation she already wishes she could forget. In her desperation she tries to fly away, but her powers are leaving her and she only makes it a few yards before she arcs back down towards the ground, landing with a heavy thud.

Both clones advance upon her. Kara can see both of their eyes turn red and she prepares for the worst.

Kara sees it as if in slow motion. The beams of heat vision travel towards her, so bright that even her eyes can barely handle it. Her entire body tenses up. The pain will be excruciating, she knows, but perhaps it won’t last too long. Maybe she’ll see her parents again soon.

Just as the beams are almost upon her, they part before her like the red sea. The pain never comes, though the light of the heat vision overwhelms Kara for a moment.

And just like that, the beams of heat vision dissipate. Kara’s eyes adjust, and she’s finally able to see her savior.

“Sam?” Kara blurts out, incredulous.

She looks back at Kara, her jawline set and determination burning in her eyes.

“Wait here,” Sam says. “I’ve got this.”

Sam rockets off; catching clone Superman right in the chest with both fists and sending him flying. Kara tries to stand up once again, but fails. She’s lost too much blood and her powers have clearly faded, leaving her no tougher than an ordinary human. The last thing she sees is Sam turn on clone Supergirl and rain blows upon her, an odd echo of that first, fateful fight with Reign.

And then, she passes out.

* * *

Kara comes to briefly, the sensation of the wind rushing across her face and tousling her hair enough to rouse her from unconsciousness. She blinks of couple of times and looks up to see that Sam is carrying her in her arms, speeding through the air at a remarkable speed.

“Sleep, Kara,” Sam says. “We’ll be there soon.”

Kara wants desperately to say thank you, or to say anything at all, but she’s too exhausted. And, quickly, her body drags her back to sleep.

* * *

Kara wakes up beneath the gentle hum of the yellow sun lamps. She blinks slowly, taking in her surroundings, and she reaches up and accidentally crushes one of the lamps in her attempt to sit up. Her powers are mostly back, at the very least.

“Kara!”

She turns to see Alex rushing towards her. Before she can say anything, Alex gathers her up in a tight hug.

“You’re okay,” Alex says, and Kara isn’t quite sure who that’s supposed to comfort more. “You’re okay.”

“Alex,” Kara rasps, her voice coming out sore and hollow. “Where’s Sam?”

Alex pulls back from the hug, her hands still on Kara’s arms. “Are you sure you want to…”

“Let me see her.”

There’s a painful moment of silence before Alex sighs, reluctantly nodding. “She’s in one of our highest-security cells. I’ll take you to her.”

* * *

Sam is sitting in one of the cells, her feet firmly on the ground and her hands clasped, resting on her lap. A pair of heavy Kryptonite cuffs binds her wrists together, though they seem farcical – there’s no way that’s close to enough to hold her. She’s still in the clothes she was wearing the day of the fight, though her sleeves have been burnt by heat vision and she’s still covered in dust and dirt. Her expression is neutral, unreadable, though it seems harsher because of the high-powered sun lamps flooding the cell with red light.

Kara stares at her for a long time. Memories flash across her mind – their first, fateful fight, the sensation of being pummeled until she was bloody and bruised, the revelation about her identity, the desperation to cure her and their eventual success at doing just that. Sam shouldn’t have her powers anymore. It’s impossible that she does. But, here she is.

“I want to speak to her,” Kara says.

“Are you crazy?” Alex asks furiously. “Those cuffs, even this cell, it’s all a formality. Who knows what she could do?”

“Yeah, but she’s just sitting there. And she saved my life.”

“She also tore through those clones like they weren’t just as strong as you. It barely took her a minute to take them both down.”

“We already knew that she’s stronger than normal Kryptonians.”

“Lex shot her, point-blank, with a Kryptonite bullet, and it bounced off of her.”

“We knew that would happen, too. She helped capture Lex, didn’t she?”

“She crushed all of the limbs of his mech suit and ripped him out, but he wasn’t the actual Lex. He was a clone, too.”

Kara doesn’t answer as she simply stares at Sam instead.

Alex sighs, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “I’m not going to convince you otherwise, am I?”

“No. Let me speak to her.”

Alex stares at her for a long while. “You’re really serious about this.”

“Alex.”

With that, Alex turns on the speaker system that allows them to speak to their prisoners. She stares at Kara for a long, uncomfortable moment, before she shakes her head and walks off.

“We’ll be monitoring you two from the control room,” she says over her shoulder. “If she tries anything, I’ll find a way to stop her.”

Kara just stares at her retreating figure, silent.

“Kara.”

Sam is standing now, staring right at her. It unnerves Kara that she has to look up to meet Sam’s gaze – she doesn’t think she’ll ever be completely comfortable around her ever again.

“Sam.”

They fall back into silence once again. Kara tries her hardest to formulate sentences in her head.

“Why are you here, Kara?” Sam asks.

“I don’t know. I wanted to thank you, I guess. You saved me.”

“I wasn’t sure if I was going to come, at first. Ruby convinced me.”

In spite of everything, a ghost of a smile makes its way to Kara’s face. “She’s a good kid.”

“She is.”

“Sam, how did this happen? How do you still have your powers?”

“I don’t know,” Sam says, a hint of fear in her voice. “I’m not supposed to anymore, I know. But, one day…”

Her voice trails off and she stares into the distance for a moment. She’s breathing heavily and Kara can hear that her heartrate has spiked significantly.

“Sam, what happened?” Kara asks softly.

Sam sits down once again, staring down at her bound wrists for a long time. 

“There was an active shooter at Ruby’s school one day,” Sam finally says, her voice barely above a whisper. “I got a text alert when I was at work. I was in my bedroom and I was just pacing, back and forth. I felt like I was losing my mind.”

She takes a deep, shuddering breath. “And then, I was just – there. I was at her school. I looked behind me and saw that I had broken right through the wall to get in. And I could – I could see everything. I could see through the walls and the ceilings. I found my daughter and saw that she was safely in a classroom, and then I found the gunman.”

Sam falls silent once again. Kara looks at her, concern clear on her face.

“What happened?”

“I – I hit him. Once. Right in the chest,” Sam says, the words coming out stilted and slow, like she’s never put them together in this exact order before. “I knew right away what I had done, but I couldn’t help myself. I used my x-ray vision and – and his heart had stopped. Right away. All of his ribs were pulverized, too.”

Kara knows she should say something, but she doesn’t think any number of words in any order would be appropriate.

“I was really panicking then, so I covered my face and sped back out of there. I was back home before I could blink.”

Kara nervously drums her fingers against her forearms. “What did Ruby say?”

“It didn’t take her long to figure out that it was me. I thought she would be scared, and she was, but she also thinks I’m some sort of superhero now. I don’t know what to do about that.”

“You stopped Lex Luthor. I think that’s pretty qualifying.”

Sam sets her lips into a tight line and looks away.

“I’ll see what I can do about getting you out of here,” Kara says.

“You shouldn’t trust me.”

“And yet…” Kara lets her voice trail off, still unable to fully commit to that. Still, Sam saved her life. That has to mean something. “I’ll see what I can do. It’s good to have you back, Sam. Even under these circumstances.”

Sam hums, barely audible, and stares off into the distance, unable or unwilling to meet Kara’s gaze. Kara stands there for a moment longer before she walks off.

* * *

Neither J’onn nor Alex give Kara an inch. Sam remains in the cell, though this does little to assuage anyone’s fears – they know that her imprisonment is contingent entirely on her. There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that Sam could break out at any moment, even with the Kryptonite emitters and red sun lamps and the million other safeguards and contingencies built into the cell. And yet, Sam remains there, only ever asking to call her daughter.

Kara goes in and talks to her every single day. They both know that they won’t ever become friends like they were before Reign, but it will have to be enough. For Kara, it is enough.

* * *

“Every day, Kara, you go in and talk to her. What are you hoping to get out of this?” Alex asks.

Kara, frustrated, rubs the bridge of her nose, unwilling to provide any answers.

Alex catches her arm. “Kara.”

“She’s still Sam. She’s still our friend.”

“You and I both know that’s not the reason you’ve been spending so much time with her.”

They engage in a quick staring match, which Kara breaks by storming off. Alex watches her retreating figure, her face twisted up with worry.

Kara takes off into the sky the moment she leaves the DEO base. She flies lazy circles through the clouds with no destination in mind as she tries to clear her thoughts. She knows exactly why she keeps talking to Sam, but if she says it out loud it becomes real, and she’s not ready to face that yet.

As she approaches the National City skyline, her hearing focuses in on a very particular heartbeat, and as if drawn by some unseen force she flies towards the penthouse she shares with Lena.

Lena is sitting on the couch in the living room, laptop balanced on her lap and papers fanned out on the cushions around her, when Kara swoops in. A weary smile graces Kara’s face when she sees Lena, so beautiful with her hair in a messy bun and a pair of thick-rimmed glasses perched on her nose. Kara unclips her cape and lets it pool onto the hardwood as she makes her way to the couch.

“How is she?”

Kara sighs. “Still locked up. They don’t even want to let her out to figure out why she has powers.”

“Kara, no, how _is _she?”

“She’s – a lot. She’s scared. Even though it’s pretty clear that R – that part of her is gone for good, she’s worried that personality will resurface at any time. She’s worried that she put Ruby at risk. She’s not thrilled about being locked up, either, but she hasn’t broken out.”

Lena hums. “Ruby is with Alex?”

Kara nods.

“We could have her over here, too. God knows we have enough bedrooms, and it’s the least we can do.”

“I’d love to have her over.”

The two fall into silence for a moment.

“Can I see her?” Lena asks, so quietly that Kara’s not sure she would’ve heard her without super-hearing.

“J’onn and Alex have both said no. But she’s your friend, too. I’ll sneak you in if that’s what it takes.”

“Thank you.”

* * *

In the end, Kara barges into the DEO with Lena in tow and dares anyone to stop her. Not even J’onn is willing to intervene, which is how Lena ends up standing in front of Sam’s cell, unsure of what to say. Finally, she presses her hand to the glass, eyes rich with emotions.

Sam lifts her hand but hesitates, as if she’s afraid that she might find a way to injure Lena, even through the 3-inch pane of plexiglass that separates them. Lena looks at her insistently, though, and Sam presses her hand up to the glass.

“I’m getting you out of here,” Lena says, voice resolute. “Unlike Kara, I don’t give a shit about the DEO.”

* * *

Lena’s argument with J’onn and Alex devolves into a shouting match in the very middle of the DEO command center, which is exactly what she had wanted. Sometimes you have to make a scene to get your point across. Lena goes all in, accusing the DEO of violating human rights by locking Sam up, calling them short-sighted for not wanting to study her condition. It’s ugly, and Lena terrifies even herself by how far she’s willing to go to make sure Sam is okay.

At one point, Alex looks pleadingly at Kara, perhaps wishing for her to step in. Kara, still frustrated, simply folds her arms across her chest, her jaw set, tacitly giving her approval for what Lena is doing.

Finally, they relent, but only partly so. They’ll let Sam out as long as it’s for research purposes only, and even she’ll be handcuffed to the operating table and placed beneath red sun lamps with plenty of kryptonite nearby.

Sam almost smiles when Lena tells her the good news.

* * *

After a week, the only thing that Lena learns is that Sam has the physiology – and all the powers that come along with that – of a Kryptonian. Unlike before, however, there seems to be no evidence of Reign. It’s as if Sam has been a Kryptonian (albeit an exceptionally powerful one) this whole time, which also means there seems to be no way to get rid of her powers.

When Kara comes walking in at the end of that week, asking about what progress she’s made, Lena is unsure of what to tell her. Sam seems equally concerned, and she looks oddly small and vulnerable there on the operating table.

“I’ve got nothing,” Lena says. “It’s clear that she has powers, I just don’t know why. It’s as if she’s a Kryptonian, but yet…”

_“I wish she were, more than anything,”_ Kara murmurs, in her native tongue.

_“I’m sorry, Kara.”_

Kara and Lena both stare at Sam, shocked.

“What?” Sam asks. “What is it?”

_“You just spoke in Kryptonese. Flawlessly, with no accents or hitches in your voice. Not even Superman can do that.”_

_“I didn’t even know I was doing it.”_

Kara chews on her lower lip, because she knows how much it would be trembling if she didn’t. Moisture collects at the rims of her eyes.

_“You’re doing it right now.”_

It’s clear that Lena doesn’t know what they’re saying, but a smile breaks out across her face all the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have basically everything written, I just wanted to get a feeling for the response before I write the epilogue (basically, I wanted to see how sappy and melodramatic I needed to make it). We'll see! 
> 
> And, as always, kudos/comments are greatly appreciated! Maybe with our powers combined we can summon Odette Annable back to Supergirl (or get her and everyone else on a better show lol)


	2. past lives

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah lemme just post everything I have sans epilogue

Later that day, Lena storms into the command center and takes over the main display so that she can give an impromptu brief on Sam’s condition. She states in no uncertain terms that Sam is in full control of her powers and that the DEO, in essence, is allowing their own fear and paranoia keep a mother away from her daughter. She leaves out the part about Sam speaking fluent Kryptonese, though. For now, that’s something that Kara needs all to herself.

Finally, J’onn allows Sam access to some common areas in the DEO base – the break room, the gym, the Kryptonian sun room, the command center (when accompanied by a trusted agent), and a few others. More importantly, however, he finally lets Ruby come and visit.

Sam is in the break room, conversing with Kara in rushed, excited Kryptonese, when Ruby comes rushing in, with Lena in tow. Neither Lena nor Kara think they’ve ever seen a more beautiful sight than Ruby hugging Sam as tightly as she can.

“Hey, kiddo,” Sam says, her cheeks streaked with tears. “How have you been? Kara and Lena have been nice to you, right?”

“I’ve been okay, and they’re cool and all. I don’t get why you’ve been locked up for so long; you’re a hero now, aren’t you?”

Sam looks over at Kara, who just shrugs, a half-grin on her face.

“I don’t know. They’re just scared that Reign might come back.”

Ruby, to her credit, doesn’t even flinch when she hears that name. “Well, she’s gone for good. You’re just you now. With superpowers. Therefore, hero.”

Sam gives her a watery smile.

“Yeah, I guess so.”

* * *

Kara shows up at the DEO headquarters in the middle of the night, when she knows the guard rotations are sparse and there aren’t any agents who would dare oppose her. She has only one goal in mind – sneaking Sam out of here, if only just for the night. It’s technically illegal, and, even worse, Alex will be absolutely pissed at her if she finds out, but she did get Lena’s blessing, which is all she really needs.

There’s not a lot of sneaking necessary, as it turns out, since Kara finds that if she clenches her jaw and stands up straight, hardened agents will literally scurry out of her way. She finds Sam sleeping in the sun room.

“Hey, Arias, I’m breaking you out. Just for tonight, though.”

Sam’s whole face lights up, and Kara thinks that might be the first time she’s really smiled when Ruby isn’t around.

“Took you long enough.”

“You remember how to fly, don’t you?”

Sam’s smile becomes even more playful, and in an instant, she’s gone. Kara laughs and chases after her, knowing full well that she can’t keep up.

They end up on the top of the L-Corp building. Lena promises to be there soon, along with Ruby, and Kara can’t help but notice that the smile hasn’t left Sam’s face. Sam looks absolutely beautiful, her striking features softened by the soft glow of the moon, something magical about the way she’s been flying and floating in mid-air dressed in an old t-shirt and jeans.

_“Thanks for this, Kara. I was getting stir-crazy in there.”_

Kara blushes as Sam’s voice wraps around the syllables of her name in Kryptonese.

_“Of course. Ruby is right, you know. You are a hero.”_

Sam’s smile falters, and Kara’s heart sinks.

“Kara, why are you doing all of this?” Sam asks, switching back to English.

“Because you’re – ” Kara begins to say, “because you’re my friend” about to tumble out of her lips, but she can’t lie to Sam like she already has to Alex.

Kara bows her head, staring at her hands for a moment.

_“I’ve been alone for so long. Even surrounded by friends and family I feel lonely. I remember everything about Krypton, of my parents, my aunt – I carry them with me even now.”_

Kara lets Sam start to rub her back, the contact most welcome.

_“I cling on to any piece of Krypton I can. I know you have no memories of it, but you can speak the language perfectly. This is the most I’ve spoken in my own language since – Rao, who knows when.” _

Kara continues to stare at her hands, which is how she realizes that she’s crying. She watches as her teardrops fall upon her hands and the grimy concrete of the rooftop.

_“I must sound so selfish.”_

_“Kara, no. Since these powers seem to be here to stay, I’m more than happy to help you feel connected to Krypton.”_

Sam suddenly grabs Kara’s hands.

_“In fact, I want you to tell me everything about Krypton. Tell me where you lived, what you did for fun, where you went to school, everything. Let me learn. Let me embrace whatever I’ve become.”_

Kara stares at Sam for a long moment before leaning in to kiss her on the lips. Sam panics, at first, but quickly melts into it; Kara’s lips are incredibly soft and she’s so warm, like she’s holding all of the sun’s light inside of herself.

“I see you’ve started without me.”

At the sound of Lena’s voice, Sam pushes herself off of Kara, apologies tumbling from her lips. Lena just smiles, however, and rises up on her tiptoes to kiss Sam on the cheek, dangerously close to the corner of her lips.

“But – you and Kara – I –” Sam stammers.

Lena gently grabs Sam’s hand and kisses her knuckles.

“Sam, now would be a really good time for you to go with the flow.”

“Lena and I have discussed this already,” Kara says. “I was supposed to wait for her to arrive so we could all talk it over together, but I couldn’t wait. Sorry.”

“No, I want this too, I think,” Sam says, the gears churning in her head. “It’s just – you want me, too?”

Kara and Lena exchange a glance.

“I think we’ve made that pretty clear.”

“Absolutely.”

And Sam smiles, luminous as the moon above.

* * *

“He’s back,” Alex calls out. “You’re not going to like who he’s cloned this time.”

Kara, Sam, and Lena all gather around the monitor, and all of their faces fall.

“I need to call my daughter,” Sam says, and rushes out of the room.

Nobody makes a move to stop her.

Sam paces back and forth in the break room as the phone rings and rings. She needs to hear her daughter’s voice, she needs to make sure. 

“Mom?”

Sam exhales audibly, relief washing over her.

“Rubes. Hey. You’re safe at the penthouse, right?”

“I am. Mom, I’m watching the news and… and he’s _back_ and he has…”

“Baby, I know. I know. I’m going to take care of this with Kara and Lena, okay?”

“Good. Go be a hero, okay?”

“I promise I’ll do my best.”

Sam hangs up, her fists clenched and a resolute expression on her face.

“Ready to go?” Alex asks.

“Ready.”

* * *

“Ah, they finally arrive,” Lex says, his voice, enhanced by speakers in his mech-suit, booms out across the desert. “It took you long enough.”

Kara and Sam exchange a glance.

“What do you want, Lex?” Kara calls out.

“Well, first, I wanted to test out my new creation.”

He turns to his side, where a perfect, blank-faced replica of Sam stands, dressed in Reign’s old armor. Kara tries to ignore the wave of nausea that threatens to overtake her at the very sight of it.

“Reign. She has the strength of ten Kryptonians with none of the weaknesses. I can’t believe it took me so long to unlock the secrets behind the Worldkillers. Lena tried her hardest to keep them away from me, but yet, here we are.”

“What do they say about unstoppable forces and immovable objects?” Sam shouts. “I have all the same powers she does.”

“Of course. That’s why I made some upgrades. Now go, kill them.”

Reign rockets towards Kara, who has no chance to dodge. Kara gets the wind knocked out of her as Reign eventually shoves her into the ground, leaving a massive crater in their wake. But, just as quickly Sam is there. She grabs Reign’s from behind and flings her skyward.

But, Reign recovers quickly and shoots back down at Sam. She’s ready, though, and they fight at lightning speed, trading punches and kicks at a rate that Kara herself can barely track. Sam slowly seems to be gaining the upper hand and manages to kick Reign square in the head, sending her flying. Reign springs back up to her feet and holds up her palm.

Neither Kara nor Sam understands what she’s doing until a blast of red, crackling energy shoots out of her palm, almost like she’s projecting heat vision. Sam doesn’t dodge in time and takes the brunt of it to the chest. She flies backwards, smoke rising from her armor.

Kara, now recovered, growls and launches herself at Reign. Reign may be stronger and faster, but Kara has been Supergirl for years and she knows how to fight. She uses Reign’s strength against her, catching her in several judo throws and even manages to launch her into the side of a hill. Reign is right back up, though, and redoubles her efforts against Kara. Kara quickly finds herself overwhelmed, which leads to Reign slamming her fist into her face and then kicking her square in the chest.

Kara lands close to where Sam is recovering. Her armor has stopped smoking, at the very least, but it’s clear she’s still in pain.

“This isn’t working,” Kara says, through gritted teeth.

“I know. But we can do this, Kara. We have to. What is it you always say? _Stronger together?”_

A grin makes its way across Kara’s face.

“El Mayarah. Okay, I have a plan. I want you to fly in and attack her. I’ll be a half-step behind you.”

Sam nods. “I trust you. Let’s do this.”

Without wasting a moment, Sam shoots off towards Reign, who manages to dodge her attack – only to find Kara right in front of her. Reign, having committed to dodging, is wide open, allowing Kara to slam her fist right into her face. Reign goes flying.

Kara grins.

“Hey, you go first this time,” Sam says.

Kara nods and launches herself at Reign. This time, Reign is ready, capturing Kara in a sort of grapple, but this still has the intended effect of keeping Reign in one place. Sam flies in and slams both of her feet into Reign, a devastating double-kick. For the first time, Reign winces in pain.

They repeat this process two more times, injuring Reign more and more. They hear Lex shouting in the background, telling Reign to fight harder, and it’s then they know they really have them on the ropes.

On the next approach, though, Reign lifts both of her hands, her palms glowing red with heat. Kara’s eyes grow wide.

“Grab her arms!” she shouts.

Kara grabs Reign’s right arm with both hands and directs the blast of energy directly into the ground, kicking up a huge plume of dust. Sam grabs her other arm and wrenches it skyward, the beam of heat energy slicing through the sparse clouds above. Reign is desperately fighting against them, trying to directly the beams of energy at them, but they’re too strong for her to handle.

Sam’s face is contorted from exertion, and it only takes Kara a few moments to figure out why. They lock gazes for a moment and Kara just barely inclines her head, giving Sam the go ahead.

“You will not terrorize me or my daughter any longer,” Sam growls.

With one last great burst of energy, Sam wrenches Reign’s arm into place. The beam of energy engulfs Reign’s head for a moment before it dissipates entirely. Reign slumps to the ground, finally defeated.

“Well, speaking of your daughter, Ms. Arias,” Lex says. “You should be a little careful of what you say on the phone. Everyone’s listening in these days.”

Kara and Sam exchange a glance.

“You’ve sent men to my penthouse, have you?” Sam asks, her expression unreadable.

“Of course,” Lex says. “Shall we listen in?”

He activates the speakers on his suit, playing the audio from the comms of the men he sent.

“We’re in the penthouse, sir. She’s in the living room. We have her surrounded,” a voice comes through, grainy and clipped.

“You may have defeated my attack dog,” Lex says. “But, I’ll always have the upper hand. Sorry.”

“Oh, you will be,” Sam says.

Kara presses a finger to her DEO earpiece. “Now.”

There’s a sudden commotion over Lex’s speakers, bursts of static and men yelling. For the first time, Lex looks panicked, though the expression vanishes in an instant.

“What’s going on?” he demands. “Someone give me an update!”

“It’s not her! It’s that damn Green Martian. We –”

Suddenly, all is silent. Vultures circle in the sky above them.

“Mr. Luthor. Now may be a good time for you to surrender,” J’onn’s voice can be heard over the comms.

Kara nearly cheers.

“Damn you all,” Lex growls. “All of you aliens! You won’t be taking me –”

Suddenly, his suit is overcome with a burst of electricity, and he falls forward, unconscious. Standing behind him is Lena, in a suit of her own.

“He really talks too much,” is all she says.


	3. onward, upwards

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the "last" chapter/sort of the epilogue!
> 
> This is kind of a fun AU to write, though, so I'm changing the status of this story to incomplete - who knows, maybe I'll circle back to this one

Lex is returned to prison, though they all know it isn’t going to last.

The difference now is that there are two Kryptonians in National City who are ready and willing to stop him the next time he breaks out.

Sam returns to the DEO to applause. Ruby is there too, all smiles, all too thrilled to take part in the scheme to fool Lex – that girl is far too enamored with the idea of rubbing shoulders with superheroes and the DEO, Sam knows, but right now she can only admire her bravery.

Alex approaches her first, holding her hand out for her to shake. Sam regards her for a moment, knowing how hard she fought at first to keep her locked up, but she accepts the handshake all the same.

“I’m sorry,” Alex says. “I should’ve trusted you. Like Kara and Lena did.”

“I understand,” Sam says. “I don’t like it, but I understand.”

Lena comes up and hugs her next and it takes a lot of willpower to not kiss her right then and there, in the middle of the DEO base. There’s a lot they have to discuss regarding their relationship, but not right now. Now, Sam allows herself to enjoy Lena’s warm embrace.

“Are you okay?” Lena asks, voice barely above a whisper.

“I did it. Reign is gone. For good.”

Gone, blasted by her own heat vision. Gone, cleansed from her body, cleansed from her mind, cleansed from her spirit. Reign is no more.

“I knew you could do it.”

Sam nods, and Lena lets go of her so Kara can give her an even more crushing hug. Kara squeezes her so tightly that Sam can hear her armor squeaking, and she gets it – when does Kara get to hug someone with all she can muster?

_“El Mayarah.”_

Sam says it back, proud that she can.

* * *

They’re all in Lena’s penthouse when Sam can’t take it anymore and knows she needs to bring it up. Ruby is off with Alex and Maggie and Sam figures she might never get a chance like this again, because she knows that soon her nerves will leave her entirely and they’ll never get anywhere like that.

“Hey, I think we need to talk,” Sam says, voice slicing through the peace of the day. “About us.”

“What about?” Kara asks.

“Just this whole thing, whatever it is,” Sam says. “Are you sure about this? I just swoop back into your lives and you invite me into your relationship?”

“We’re sure,” Lena says. “Like I said, Kara and I have discussed this in depth. Kara loves your Kryptonian side, loves your strength, loves your heroism. A kindred spirit. And I…”

Lena flushes pink, looking particularly radiant illuminated by the early morning National City sun.

“…I think I’ve been in love with you since we first met.”

“When we first met?” Sam asks, stunned. “I was such a mess. I had no idea how to handle being a mother, let alone going to college. I don’t think I was even very nice to you at first.”

Kara laughs, which just makes Lena blush even more deeply. Sam can’t even think of the last time she’s seen Lena be so vulnerable.

“Yeah, but then one day you came to my apartment with Ruby in your arms,” Lena says. “It was late fall, and we were studying organic chemistry and drinking hot chocolate. We barely even spoke to one another, but I just knew.”

Sam smiles as the memory comes back to her. “I remember that day. Ruby spit up on your obnoxiously expensive cashmere sweater and you didn’t even flinch.”

Lena smiles back at her.

“Wait,” Sam says, breaking through the moment. “Did you say love? You two…”

Sam can’t quite bring herself to say it, and Lena looks at Kara a little guiltily.

“Sorry,” Lena says. “Not very subtle today, am I?”

“I don’t mind,” Kara says. “But, Sam, you don’t have to say it back. If you’re not ready.”

Sam swallows harshly, unsure if she’s deserving of all this love affection, though she knows she wants to try to be.

“Don’t worry, I will one day,” Sam says, before turning her gaze from Lena to Kara. _“I promise.”_

* * *

Ruby takes the news that her mom is dating two women surprisingly well. Sam even hears from one of Ruby’s teachers that she’s been bragging about having three moms, which is equal parts adorable and terrifying. Still, Sam is suspicious about how cool Ruby is being, especially since she doesn’t know how she would react if her own mom started dating two people at once, so she makes it a point to talk to her about it when she gets the chance.

They finally have a quiet night in, with no drama at L-Corp (Sam has returned to her old job; it’s not like having superpowers has made her forget how the business world works) and no emergencies that she needs to handle.

“Hey, Rubes?” Sam knocks on her door. “Can we talk?”

“If I’m in trouble, then no,” Ruby says. “Otherwise, yes.”

Sam chuckles. “You’re not in trouble.”

The door opens almost immediately, a smiling Ruby on the other side.

“Good! What’s up?”

Sam goes to sit on Ruby’s bed. “I wanted to ask you about Lena and Kara.”

“Yes, your two girlfriends.”

Sam wishes that even that simple phrase wouldn’t make her blush.

“Wait, is something happening?” Ruby asks. “You guys aren’t breaking up, right?”

“No, we’re not. Is that something you’re worried about?”

“Now it is. I like them both. Lena plays chess with me when she’s at work on her phone and Kara helps me with physics homework. They’re cool! If you mess this up I’ll be very upset.”

Sam looks at her, flabbergasted. At the very least, she can say she’s proud she taught Ruby all of the oratory skills she knows.

“Well, I just wanted to make sure you’re okay with our relationship, and it’s clear that you are.”

“Of course I am.”

Sam smiles at her. And then musses up her hair.

* * *

Sam shivers as Lena wraps her arms around her from behind and presses her lips to the back of her neck.

“I have a surprise for you.”

“Oh, is that how we’re going to start the day?” Sam asks, turning around in Lena’s embrace.

“Hmm, it’s very tempting, but no. My surprise is actually waiting for you at the lab.”

Sam raises an eyebrow, a very Lena-esque gesture.

“No, not like that,” Lena says.

Though Lena still isn’t completely comfortable with being flown places by a Kryptonian, she still asks Sam to do just that. They arrive at L-Corp’s experimental R&D lab, where Kara is there waiting for them, looking like a kid on Christmas.

“You know I really like Kara, but seeing her here isn’t exactly a surprise,” Sam says.

“The surprise isn’t me,” Kara says. “Here, look.”

Kara gestures towards a suspiciously Sam-height containment device behind her and taps some kind of code into the affixed touchpad screen. With a dramatic hiss and the evacuation of smoke, the front of the containment device slides open.

Sam can’t help but gasp when she sees what’s inside. It’s a new suit. Before, she had been wearing an old prototype of Kara’s current suit, but here before her is one of here very own.

“Wow, guys, this is…” Sam says, her voice trailing off as she stares at her new suit.

“It’s based on our bleeding-edge materials research design, Kara’s suits…” Lena begins to say.

“…and that one doodle Ruby made of you,” Kara finishes.

Sam turns to look at her, amused.

“What can I say? She’s got some artistic skills, that one.”

“I think she was inspired by the media’s new name for you,” Lena says.

“Blackbird,” Sam says.

“Exactly,” Lena says. “The interlocking armor plates allow for the best movement while also providing protection against anything you aren’t innately immune to. Also, they look like feathers.”

“And it’s in all black,” Kara says. “Gotta keep your dark aesthetic going.”

Sam smiles and draws the two of them in for a tight hug. To have these two wonderful women care about her support and encourage her newfound interest in thrilling heroics – it’s almost too much for her to handle.

“Thanks, guys,” Sam says. “I feel like a real superhero now.”

_“You have been all along,” _Kara says.

* * *

“Blackbird, Supergirl, suit up,” Alex barks over the sound of klaxons going off in the DEO command center. “We got some kind of alien presence downtown.”

“Stay safe, you two,” Lena says. “I’ve got drones on backup and a new mech-suit I’ve been dying to use in the field if anything goes wrong, though.”

“You and your toys,” Sam says, grinning. “We’ll be back before you can say ‘best superhero duo ever.’”

_“Don’t get cocky, kid,” _Kara says, though she’s grinning just as wide.

“Okay, you two are cleared to go,” J’onn says. “Get to it.”

Sam looks to Kara, who nods. In an instant, they’re zooming out of the DEO base and towards downtown National City, where a skyscraper-sized alien beast is on a rampage. Smoke is rising up from several buildings and the cacophony of car alarms and screams almost overwhelm their enhanced hearing.

_“I’ll go in first and soften him up,” _Sam says. _“You’ll be a half-step behind, right?” _

_“Always,” _Kara says.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, let me know what you think! If you have any suggestions/prompts for further Kara/Lena/Sam shenanigans, just let me know in the comments!

**Author's Note:**

> I have basically everything written, I just wanted to get a feeling for the response before I write the epilogue (basically, I wanted to see how sappy and melodramatic I needed to make it). We'll see! 
> 
> And, as always, kudos/comments are greatly appreciated! Maybe with our powers combined we can summon Odette Annable back to Supergirl (or get her and everyone else on a better show lol)


End file.
